or bird, or in pl., THE DOWNIES, subs. phr. (common).—A clever rogue.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS.—Mizzler; leary bloke or cove; sly dog; old dog; nipper; file; Greek; one that knows what’s o’clock; one who knows the ropes, or his way about; don; dodger; dab; doll’s-eye-weaver; dammacker; shaver; dagen; chickaleary-cove; ikey bloke; artful member; one that is up to the time of day; fly cove; one that’s in the know; one that has his eye-teeth skinned, or that has cut his wisdoms.
FRENCH SYNONYMS.—Un gaspard (popular); un fouinard (pop.: fouiner = to slink off); un ficellier (popular); être d’affût (thieves’) = to be on the track or scent); un arcasien (thieves’: from arcane = a secret); un pante désargoté (thieves’: one ‘fly to the time of day’); un mariolle (thieves’ = English FILE [q.v.]); un lapin (popular); un écopeur (pop.: a safe hand); un emberlificoteur (O.F., popular).
GERMAN SYNONYMS.—Barje or Borje (from the Hebrew birjah: also = a fop); Bochur, Bacher, or Bocher (from Hebrew bochur: also an official who understands thieves’ lingo); Chochom, Chochem, or Chochemer (more frequently spelled with ‘K’: from Hebrew chochom); Lowon (also = silver, shining).
SPANISH SYNONYMS.—Candonguero (applied to one who is mischievous as well as cunning); zarapeto; zorrastron; perro viejo; estuche (also = a pair of scissors); guitarron (also = a large guitar); perillan; pua (also = a sharp point: es buena pua = he is a keen blade); carlancon; es un buen sastre (= he is a sly dog or cunning blade. Sastre = tailor); soga; alpargatilla; sobon or sobonazo (also = a lazy fellow).
PORTUGUESE SYNONYM.—Tinente.
1821. P. EGAN, Tom and Jerry (ed. 1890), p. 95. Mr. Mace had long been christened by the DOWNIES, the ‘dashing covey.’
1841. LEMAN REDE, Sixteen-String Jack, ii., 4. Tom Bullock, the DOWNIEST COVE, the leary one that never goes to sleep.
1877. GREENWOOD, Dick Temple, ch. vi. DOWNY-looking COVE, the fair ’un…. A mug like that ought to be worth a fortune to him.
